Swiffer Bissell Steamboost Steam Mop Review

Rating: 3.3 Reviewed by Erica
Two powerful companies teamed up to create the Swiffer Bissell Steamboost steam mop but I think there’s a big misconception floating around about this model and it’s an important point that needs to be understood before you decide whether it’s the right choice for you.

Here’s the issue; I read a ton of reviews where the consumer said they’d never found it “so easy to sanitize their floors”.

Uh-oh – Houston we have a problem. Neither Swiffer nor Bissell make any claims that this mop nor the cleaning solution in the pads will sanitize your floors. Not in the manual, not in their product descriptions, not in their videos, nor anywhere on their sites.

This machine isn’t meant to sanitize and won’t do so the way it’s being used. Its main purpose is to get dirt off the floor and the steam is used only to heat and activate the cleaning solution that is built into the refill pads.

Table of Contents

Click ahead!

Floor Types & Carpets / Mop Head Type / Water Tank & Steam / Controls / Attachments & Accessories / Cleaning Solution Options / Dimensions / Consumer Reviews & Ratings / Pros / Cons / Price / My Overall Review

Even Swiffer’s own site points me to a WetJet and their liquid cleaning solution for concerns about bacteria on my floors, not the Steamboost.

Besides picking up dirt, the Swiffer Bissell Steamboost is meant to do one other thing and that is to draw you into buying expensive, disposable cleaning pads on a regular basis.

It might look like it’s a great budget steam mop but it’s not. Buying those refills regularly makes this a lot more expensive as a choice for a floor cleaner than other models that offer better performance and without the use of chemicals.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m a Swiffer fan and have been using their dusting cloths for years now. I still have a WetJet, too, but stopped using it more than 3 years ago because the cleaning solution refills were expensive and left my floors sticky.

But there are some other things you should consider about this mop and a recommendation for a choice that’s less expensive.

This steam mop is electric and emits steam as an agent to kick the cleaning solution in the refill pads into action. It cleans hard floor surfaces only and is not meant to be used on walls, windows or other vertical surfaces.

In the box are:

• Mop handle
• Mop head
• 2 disposable mop pads – 1 in the Open Window scent and one in Lavendar Vanilla

The handle snaps together and then into the top of the mop head. It’s very easy to set up.

Steamboost Handles Hard Floors, Not Carpets

The Steamboost mop is intended for sealed floors including:

• Finished wood *
• Laminate *
• Tile
• Marble
• Stone
• Vinyl
• Linoleum

*Note – Check with the manufacturer of your flooring material for care instructions.

Always best to test a steam mop on a sample of your flooring first to be safe.

This mop does not vacuum, clean carpets or glean grout.

Mop Head Shape and Refill Pads

The mop head is rectangular and is 10.25 inches wide. It does swivel so you can work around furniture, corners, and toilets with a simple change in your wrist.

There’s a front lip of about a couple of inches that will fit under cabinets and furniture but in the middle of the mop head is the heating unit and it stands pretty tall which may block you from reaching under furniture and all the way under cabinets with a deep overhang.

(Click image to see other photos)

The corners are pointed and since the map pad itself is thin it will reach pretty deep into your corners. However, that thin pad will also float right over grout lines so don’t count on this to clean even recent dirt or spills from grout lines without some extra effort. It’s not meant to clean grout anyway but you do want your steam mop to at least touch the grout to lift and remove excess dirt and dust.

The manufacturer recommends you only use the refill pads designed for this mop. They are dry cloths that come in packs of 20 and are scented with one of two choices – Open Window Fresh or Febreze Lavender Vanilla & Comfort (Lavender Vanilla is one of my favorite scents for my home, btw – I love my Glade plug-ins).

Attaching the pad to the mop head is more difficult than the kind that attach with Velcro. You’ve got to get down to the base and tuck the four corners of the pad into the clips built into the base.

There is a cleaning solution baked into the mop pads that is activated by the steam and heat emitted by the mop. That heat and the cleaning solution help lift tough dirt, stains, and sticky stuff on your floors and the texture of the pad scoops up that dirt.

Because this mop is still pretty new, finding refill pads can be difficult in some remote locations. Amazon’s single listing for them at the moment is insanely overpriced. I found them for pretty cheap at this listing on Walmart. They’re at my local store, too, so you might try there first. You shouldn’t have to pay more than about $0.50 per pad.

You’ll need to use at least one pad per mopping session but more if you have more than one room to mop at a time. I think it’s safe to assume you’d be going through $3-5 worth of refill pads a month, at least. I have over 1000 square feet of tile and based on reviewer comments I’d probably have to use 16-20 pads a month, or $8-10. Over a year, you’re looking at anywhere from $40-120 just in refill pads.

Some consumers have tried alternatives such as other Swiffer pads, their own microfiber cloths, or even towels they snap into the clips. The problem is that the mop isn’t designed for use with those items and doing so could void your warranty but could also cause other issues with your mop. The two steam vents on the bottom are meant to work with the recommended pads and could become blocked or ineffective with some other material attached instead.

As long as you change out the mop pad when it becomes very wet, your floors should dry quickly.

If you’re looking for a chemical free cleaning solution, this isn’t it. In fact, the pads could pose a danger to children and pets if they put them in their mouths because of the chemicals that are built into the pads.

Water Tank Size

The 10 ounce tank is small compared to other steam mops but heats up in 30 seconds which is standard for these kinds of mops.

The tank is see through so you can tell how much water is left but since the tank is not removable you have to pour water into it with a measuring cup that has a spout and one is NOT included with this mop.

You shouldn’t leave water in the tank in between uses. Minerals and other deposits in water can build up and harm the mop performance over time.

Since the tank is not removable that means lifting the entire mop upside down to pour out any excess water. I much prefer removable tanks.

The manual recommends using distilled water to help the Steamboost last longer specifically because of the possible damage from hard water.

This mop operates at 1000 watts which is well below the average of the ones I’ve reviewed so far and may be why it doesn’t make any claims about being able to sanitize. It may not be able to get the water hot enough. That does mean it uses less power than some alternatives, though.

Controls

There’s no on/off button on the Steamboost. Once you’ve filled it with water you just plug it in and it will start heating up. A ready light turns blue on the base of the unit to tell you it’s ready to be used.

It’s operated by holding down the trigger on the handle and that will cause your hand to cramp after awhile, especially if you have a large area to mop at one time. Because of the way it’s designed, though, you could tie something around the handle to hold the trigger down for you. It’s a little annoying to have to do that but it’s far better than trying to hold it down continuously yourself.

There are no other buttons or controls to worry about.

Both Swiffer and Bissell have pumped out a ton of review videos on YouTube but I like finding the ones where a regular person shows how the mop works and the following video is a great demonstration.

Steamboost Included and Optional Attachments

There are no attachments that come with this steam mop nor any that come separately as add ons to help with other cleaning chores.

Cleaning Solutions

I consider speed and the ability to clean without chemicals to be two of the most desirable benefits of using a steam mop. The Steamboost is designed to work with a cleaning solution, though, so that scratches one of the benefits on my list and also eliminates this as an option for any who need to clean without chemicals due to allergies or sensitivity to the smell of chemical cleaners.

You can’t put your own cleaning solution in the water tank as that could harm the machine.

The cleaning solution is built into the map pads that need to be used with this machine.

As I mentioned earlier, this steam mop isn’t built to sanitize your floors. In order to do that a mop has to get the water to at least 220 degrees and then be held in place for a short amount of time to kill off germs. Neither Swiffer or Bissell say this mop will do that.

In fact, Swiffer recommends their WetJet for sanitizing on their site and not this model.

What really blew my mind was Swiffer’s article on deep cleaning your floors which suggests first vacuuming, then using their WetJet AND finally using the Steamboost. Yikes! That’s a lot of work!

Swiffer Bissell Steamboost Dimensions and Storage

Height: Approx 45 inches

Width: 10.25 inches

Depth: Approx 6 inches

Weight: 3 pounds

Power cord: 20 feet long

The mop will stand upright for storage and there are hooks you can use to wrap the cord but there’s no included resting pad and you can’t leave the mop sitting hot in one spot too long so you’ll need to find something heat resistant to have it sit on during heating and cooling.

Pros

• Swiffer is currently offering a 30 day money back guarantee on their website
• Light weight

Cons

• Need to continuously purchase refill pads
• No quick release for the power cord so you have to unwind it manually each time
• Small capacity water reservoir
• Meant to clean with chemicals – not designed as an eco-friendly cleaning method
• Does not produce a great deal of steam
• Pads sometimes bunch up during use and are not as easy to attach as other steam mops
• Trigger hurts your hand to hold down
• Handle feels cheap – manual warns against applying too much pressure or the handle could break

Swiffer Bissell Steamboost Starter Kit Price

Both Bissell and Swiffer have a strong, loyal following and that shows up in other reviews of this product. It would appear that when compared to the Swiffer WetJet folks like that they don’t have to buy both pads and the bottle cleaning solutions but can instead use just the refill pads and water.

However, when you compare the Swiffer Bissell Steamboost price to some other steam mops it’s actually a more expensive choice because of those required refills.

In addition, it does not sanitize your floors.

An alternative that costs the same (sometimes less) is the Sienna Vibe steam mop which can be used to sanitize, uses rewashable microfiber pads, doesn’t require any chemicals and can also be used as a hand held steam cleaner for other dirty jobs around your home (shower and tub come to mind…).

Consumer Reviews and Ratings

For as new as this mop is, there are tons of consumer reviews and ratings online already. Some of that is the result of a campaign to kick start the product with free products given in exchange for a review.

I’ve read hundreds of those reviews and found them to be pretty consistent about the things that people liked and didn’t like about the Steamboost and I’ve noted those trends here in the pros and cons section.

Final Opinion

If you’re a Swiffer addict and have a WetJet you might appreciate this additional tool for help in cleaning your floors. You might also give it a try if you’re diligent about following the terms of the 30 day money back offer and returning it if you don’t like it.

If, however, you’ve used any other kind of steam mop, need to clean without chemicals, want something that can kill the majority of germs and bacteria on your floors, or simply don’t like the idea of having to hunt down and buy the refill pads on a regular basis then you’ll want to find a different steam mop.